Adventures in Tech World: Or Is Mercury in Retrograde?

I know I haven’t been around for a bit, but I had en excuse: computer meltdown. My iMac decided at 7 years to go to a black screen. I talked to the repair person who said what it likely was and that he could repair it, but it was only a little more to replace it (you know when a tech is throng away work that he’s honest.) So, since it was really a work machine (and I couldn’t see my screen) I had a coworker go to the inter webs and purchase a replacement on the company dime. They said it would be here in two days, which of course stretched to five. I finally arrived, but then the conundrum- how to get all my programs off the old and onto the new one? Luckily my coworker has a husband who is a commuter whiz specializing in Macs, so after several hours of back and forth he went home saying that the process would complete itself overnight. Which it did.

Of course it also erased my passwords. So I couldn’t use my corporate email. Because in their wisdom, the people that built in the system to recover and change your password require you to enter your password to change it. Your forgotten password. The one that, if you remembered it you wouldn’t need to change it.

Finally that was taken care of. There were other tech misadventures but then I decided on cyber Monday to treat myself to a discounted Echo Dot. It was almost half price so I thought what the hell. Then I got it and tried to program it. First I had to update the IOs on my iPad, which took over and hour. Then download the Alexa app to set up the little bugger. Whi simply wasn’t happening. After an hour of trying to get the thing to get up on my WiFi, I decided to say “Alexa, return your worthless butt to Amazon!”

It’s sitting in a box waiting for UPS to pick it up..

All of which means that I have no review this week. But at least I CAN access blogger again. The Interwebs. How did we ever live without it?

Tell me about your week in the comments. Image: Internet

  • MMKinPA says:

    Welcome back! My husband received an Echo as a prize at a work event. We did manage to connect it to our WiFi but it isn’t adding anything to our lives… does a decent job playing prime music, but I’m not inclined to do voice ordering and Alexa never knows the answer to any questions we ask!!

  • Musette says:

    and this, right here, is why I stay on the leading edge of analog. I wouldn’t have Alexa Echo-Skynet in my house for anything! lol! It always reminds me of that scene in the Will Smith movie where the androids turn red and his poor aunt is sitting, terrified, in her apartment with a hostile ‘servant’. And then the scene in Red Planet where they drop the ‘compass’ and nobody but whatizname (the janitor) knows how to read the starts. And…and…

    😉

    xoxo

    • Musette says:

      and, yes, technology IS wonderful – when it works! xoxoxo

      • HeidiC says:

        “The leading edge of analog” — snort! I’m with you. I write freelance, so I have to use the interwebs for work a lot, but I much prefer writing longhand on a legal pad!

  • Kathleen Smith says:

    Technology is wonderful when it works; sorry about your meltdown. Glad you’re working through all the issues, we’ve all been there! I hope you’re wearing your favorite comfort fragrances through all the aggravation to bring some calm!